Old Drift Lodge

The 10 Luxury Tented Suites are each furnished with a choice of double or twin beds and enjoy beautiful river views. The tents are positioned on elevated wooden decking and are generously spaced apart to allow for maximum privacy and an intimate safari experience. The suites are all air-conditioned to keep the climate comfortable, and they have a light and airy atmosphere. Guests can enjoy surrounding views of the river and plains from the comfort of their own bedrooms, with the roll-up canvas walls providing both a natural airflow and breaking down the barriers between you and the lush vegetation and thriving wildlife. The spacious canvas tents all include an indoor living room area and an en-suite bathroom with indoor and outdoor showers, and an outdoor bath overlooking the Zambezi. Outside, you will also find a private deck with your own plunge pool.

Old Drift Lodge features 4 Luxury Family Suites, which consist of two bedrooms, one bathroom and an indoor lounge. The master bedroom features a four-poster king-size bed, and the second bedroom has two twins. These tents are perfect for families travelling together. Each of the tents is placed on raised decking, offering an elevated view of the Zambezi River. The canvas walls also roll up, providing a light and airy space with panoramic views of the surrounding natural beauty. The en-suite bathrooms are complete with both indoor and outdoor showers, and an outdoor bath overlooking the Zambezi. Outside, guests will also find a private deck with their own plunge pool.

Guests can look forward to three delicious meals each day at Old Drift Lodge. Tea, coffee and other hot drinks are available first thing in the morning. Guests can enjoy a light breakfast picnic during their morning game drive, or stay at camp for a continental buffet with hot food made to order from the kitchen. Lunch timings are flexible and lunch consists of either a mixed buffet or a la carte options. Guests can also travel to Victoria Falls and enjoy a lunch at the Lookout Cafe with views of the stunning waterfall and river below. Dinner is served in the evenings and consists of three courses. Finish your day off with an indulgent dessert and a beverage from the lodge’s bar before gathering around the outdoor fire pit and gazing up at the dazzling stars while hippos serenade you from the river’s waters. The chefs can cater for a range of dietary requirements if given advanced notice, and vegetarian options are available.

Take a guided trip to one of the seven natural wonders of the world and enjoy the breathtaking scenery that Victoria Falls has to offer. Guests can stand in the footsteps of David Livingstone, the first European explorer to discover the falls, and watch the cascading water as it gushes over basaltic rocks. Visit the rainforest that lies beneath the largest waterfall in the world, and view the incredible species of mammals, reptiles, amphibians and insects that thrive in the humid conditions. Guests can also walk along the viewing bridge and enjoy incredible views of the face of the waterfall as froth and foam churn below and rainbow hues linger in the air.

Venture out on an exciting game drive and explore Zambezi National Park from the comfort of a specialised safari vehicle. The lodge’s knowledgeable guides will be able to teach you interesting facts about the incredible animals of Zimbabwe, as well as showing you the best spots for viewing game. Look out for elephants, zebras, waterbuck, buffalo, lions, impala and hippos as you traverse the sweeping grassland and floodplains and roam the African wilderness. Picnic baskets with tea and snacks will be taken on the morning drives, and sundowners and snacks can be enjoyed during the afternoon game drives.

Explore Zambezi National Park from the waters on an exciting river safari. Old Drift has two luxury pontoon boats, each with 10 seats. Guests can either venture out on a river safari in the morning when predators such as lions and leopards may be spotted as they return from a night of hunting, or in the afternoon as the sun begins to dip in the colourful sky and the landscape begins to transition to dusky hues. Guests can admire the amazing views of Zambezi National Park, as well as the tranquil river waters. See the many plants and trees that fill the riverbanks and look out for passing wildlife as creatures gather for a drink at the river’s edge and elephants wade out into the river.

Explore the bush on foot on a guided walk, and experience the smaller details that make safaris more immersive. Your experienced guide will be able to teach you how to recognise tracks and follow clues left in the wilderness that will lead to incredible game viewing opportunities. Get up close to the giant grey African Bull Elephants and get a sense of the sheer size of these amazing animals, or find dazzling, colourful insects that are often overlooked. Walking safaris allow you to explore at your own pace, without the noise of an engine to startle the wildlife, and take advantage of incredible photographic opportunities. Walks take place along the Zambezi River and around Zambezi National Park and are only available for guests aged 16 years or older.

Enjoy a delicious lunch and drinks against the backdrop of the world’s largest waterfall at the Lookout Cafe. This can be booked to coincide with a tour of the falls or enjoyed as an additional trip. Admire the cascading water without getting soaked and take in the peaceful atmosphere with the rushing sounds of water in the background.

Old Drift Lodge is a Wild Horizons safari lodge. Wild Horizons works with the local community around Victoria Falls in order to collaborate on projects that empower local people and raise awareness for conserving the environment. Wild Horizons has a community outreach program that works to reduce conflict between wildlife and humans, educate local people about conservation and provides machinery for cutting and transporting thatching which is then used in constructing homes.

Wild Horizons also aim to employ local people, with 80% of the team at Old Drift Lodge from the immediate vicinity, and they ‘strive to ensure that they feel fulfilled, rewarded and valued as ambassadors of Wild Horizons.’

Wild Horizons gives support to the Katombora scouts and sponsors three officers employed by the Victoria Falls Anti-Poaching Unit to help protect the local wildlife.

‘We believe that sustainability relies on the combined effort of our Victoria Falls community. The National Parks Game Scouts are invaluable in protecting our wilderness and wildlife. We provide support to the Katombora scouts in the form of food and fuel to assist in the National Parks anti-poaching efforts in Kazungula and the Matetsti areas of Zimbabwe’

Wild Horizons source and distribute raincoats to ‘an association of vendors who hire them out to guests visiting the Victoria Falls rainforest.’ This project allows the vendors to gain an income and provide for their families. So far over 30 vendors are receiving the benefits of this initiative.

Wild Horizons supports future generations by paying the school fees for 67 children at eight rural schools within the region. This allows children to receive a crucial education and improves their employability prospects, helping to end the cycle of poverty.

Wild Horizons also contributes to the salaries of employees at the local old age home. Once every year, Wild Horizons donates gas for their stove and host a meal for the home’s residents.

Wild Horizons established the Victoria Falls Wildlife Trust, which is a non-profit initiative that focuses on promoting awareness for conservation and the environment through the sustainable use of endemic resources. The trust works alongside authorities, local communities and other stakeholders in order to protect the animals, wildlife and plants within the Wild Horizons Wildlife Sanctuary. Wild Horizons also offer experiences for local children, transporting them to the trust where they can learn about the work that is done there and be inspired to join the next generation of conservationists.

‘Annually, over a thousand school children are transported to the Trust, where they have the opportunity to interact with the wildlife ambassadors and learn from a team of passionate conservationists, who become their role models and mentors. By addressing the next generation of decision-makers, we hope to inspire them to care for their natural heritage and to become the guardians of these areas in the future.’

The Victoria Falls Wildlife Trust has a veterinary laboratory and clinic which researchers, vets and graduates can study zoonotic diseases which are transmitted across species. This allows them to collect data to help stop the spread of diseases which can cause ‘epidemic crashes of keystone wildlife species’ and prevent public health issues.

The trust also runs a Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre which provides veterinary care to injured, orphaned and abandoned wildlife. Wildlife can be harmed when animals cross paths with humans. Snares, conflict and vehicles all pose hazards to wildlife and the trust works to help animals recover from these terrible events. Additionally, the trust runs research projects into the factors that help or hinder wildlife populations to find ways of better protecting them.

A qualified environmental officer visits the camp twice each year in order to monitor the biology of the Wild Horizons Wildlife Sanctuary. Biological surveys are conducted to monitor the orphaned elephant herd and naturally occurring wildlife that has made its home on the property to track the effects that they have on the environment. Invasive vegetation within the reserve is also removed and soil erosion is managed.

Old Drift Lodge was built using 300o square metres of decking which was constructed out of 750,000 plastic bottles. Wild Horizons work to make sure that their lodges are built in a way that minimises the impact on the environment. Their Elephant Camp was built out of eco-friendly materials, using ‘60% bamboo and 40% recycled plastic’. Bamboo is a sustainable material as it grows very quickly, and recycling plastic means that it avoids going to the landfill. Wild Horizons have also banned single-use plastics at their lodges and provide guests with reusable water bottles to prevent plastic waste.

Wild Horizons use sewage systems in their camps in order to treat wastewater and produce greywater which is then used for irrigation on their indigenous tree nursery. Organic waste from the kitchen is recycled by their worm farm and becomes a chemical-free compost which also helps the trees in the nursery as well as the vegetable garden.

All of the geysers at Wild Horizons’ Elephant Camp West are powered by solar, and the geysers at the main Elephant Camp are currently being converted to solar-powered ones. All 24 geysers at Old Drift Lodge are solar-powered and the suites are fitted with low power, inverter type air-conditioners which are designed to limit any negative impacts on the environment.